Patriots Legend Julian Edelman: Tom Brady Promised 'Go For Jordan!'

After the New England Patriots fell in the 2013 AFC title game, Tom Brady wasted no time returning to a lofty goal.

While most of the NFL rested, Tom Brady went GOAT hunting.

Julian Edelman added to the already gargantuan Foxborough legend of Brady, who will return to Gillette Stadium this fall to be honored by his former employers, the New England Patriots. This new chapter in the book of Brady was unveiled on "New Heights," talk show hosted by the famed Kelce brothers Jason and Travis.

Normally opponents of Brady and Edelman's championship antics, the two reveled in the latest example of the quarterback's confidence and self-fulfillment. A loss in the AFC title to Denver at the end of the 2013 season did nothing to deter Brady's faith in his abilities and Edelman was more than happy to join him.

Brady really spoke it into existence 🗣️ @BWWings @TomBrady pic.twitter.com/aNsBa5RtEz

— New Heights (@newheightshow) July 20, 2023

"We started training in, like, February," Edelman recalled. "He had the location of the Super Bowl on his whiteboard in his gym ... I was like 'what is this?' and he's like 'that's where we're going to be the last game of the season, bro.'"

That city was Glendale, Arizona, which hosted Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium (now State Farm Stadium). As premature as Brady's premonition may have been, Edelman was fully on board with the plan.

At that time, Brady had "only" three Super Bowl rings, one away from tying the one quarterback conventionally believed to be the "Greatest of All-Time," Joe Montana. Edelman promised to help Brady tie his boyhood idol's ring count.

Brady, however, had loftier goals: catching the equally legendary Michael Jordan, commonly referred to as history's greatest basketball player. 

"I go 'I'm going to help you catch Montana,'" Edelman recalled. "He looked at me dead in the face and he goes 'I ain't catching Montana. I'm going for Jordan.' 

"And the motherf****r did it!"

Brady took one step closer to Jordan that season with a legendary championship run: facing the Seattle Seahawks in the championship finale, Brady led the Patriots back from a 24-14 deficit entering the fourth quarter earn his Montana-tying fourth ring in a 28-24 thriller. Brady earned MVP honors with 328 yards and four touchdown passes, the last being a three-yard tally to Edelman with just over two minutes remaining. Edelman led all New England receivers with 109 yards in the win.

Like Brady, Jordan had his own run of dominance, guiding a single team with a downtrodden history (in his case, the Chicago Bulls) to six pieces of his sport's most valuable hardware. As Edelman mentioned, Brady would get his wish, though the Jordan-passing victory came with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the 2020 campaign. Edelman was still by his side for two more Vince Lombardi Trophy hoists in 2017 and 2019 (winning MVP in the latter).

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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